We have all heard these phrases before. “Violent psychopath” (21,700). “Psychopathic serial killer” (14,700). “Psychopathic murderer” (12,500). “Deranged psychopath” (1,050). The number of Google hits following them in parentheses attests to their currency in popular culture. Yet as we will soon discover, each phrase embodies a widespread misconception regarding psychopathic personality, often called psychopathy (pronounced “sigh-COP-athee”) or sociopathy. Indeed, few disorders are as misunderstood as is psychopathic personality. In this column, we will do our best to set the record straight and dispel popular myths about this condition.
Charming but Callous
First described systematically by Medical College of Georgia psychiatrist Hervey M. Cleckley in 1941, psychopathy consists of a specific set of personality traits and behaviors. Superficially charming, psychopaths tend to make a good first impression on others and often strike observers as remarkably normal. Yet they are self-centered, dishonest and undependable, and at times they engage in irresponsible behavior for no apparent reason other than the sheer fun of it. Largely devoid of guilt, empathy and love, they have casual and callous interpersonal and romantic relationships. Psychopaths routinely offer excuses for their reckless and often outrageous actions, placing blame on others instead. They rarely learn from their mistakes or benefit from negative feedback, and they have difficulty inhibiting their impulses.
Not surprisingly, psychopaths are overrepresented in prisons; studies indicate that about 25 percent of inmates meet diagnostic criteria for psychopathy. Nevertheless, research also suggests that a sizable number of psychopaths may be walking among us in everyday life. Some investigators have even speculated that “successful psychopaths”—those who attain prominent positions in society—may be overrepresented in certain occupations, such as politics, business and entertainment. Yet the scientific evidence for this intriguing conjecture is preliminary.
Most psychopaths are male, although the reasons for this sex difference are unknown. Psychopathy seems to be present in both Western and non-Western cultures, including those that have had minimal exposure to media portrayals of the condition. In a 1976 study anthropologist Jane M. Murphy, then at Harvard University, found that an isolated group of Yupik-speaking Inuits near the Bering Strait had a term (kunlangeta) they used to describe “a man who … repeatedly lies and cheats and steals things and … takes sexual advantage of many women—someone who does not pay attention to reprimands and who is always being brought to the elders for punishment.” When Murphy asked an Inuit what the group would typically do with a kunlangeta, he replied, “Somebody would have pushed him off the ice when nobody else was looking.”
The best-established measure of psychopathy, the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R), developed by University of British Columbia psychologist Robert D. Hare, requires a standardized interview with subjects and an examination of their file records, such as their criminal and educational histories. Analyses of the PCL-R reveal that it comprises at least three overlapping, but separable, constellations of traits: interpersonal deficits (such as grandiosity, arrogance and deceitfulness), affective deficits (lack of guilt and empathy, for instance), and impulsive and criminal behaviors (including sexual promiscuity and stealing).
Three Myths
Despite substantial research over the past several decades, popular misperceptions surrounding psychopathy persist. Here we will consider three of them.
1. All psychopaths are violent. Research by psychologists such as Randall T. Salekin, now at the University of Alabama, indicates that psychopathy is a risk factor for future physical and sexual violence. Moreover, at least some serial killers—for example, Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy and Dennis Rader, the infamous “BTK” (Bind, Torture, Kill) murderer—have manifested numerous psychopathic traits, including superficial charm and a profound absence of guilt and empathy.
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27 Comments
Add CommentGentleman,
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI applaud your thoughtful consideration of an often misunderstood set of behavioral symptoms. However, there has historically been recognized a clinical differentiation between sociopathy (characterized by superficial charm, narcissism, and a lack of empathy) and the more problematic psychopathy (characterized by the aforementioned symptoms, plus aggressive and predatory behavior). Unfortunately, such a distinction has been ostensibly lost in recent clinical training. This distinction among antisocial presentations is important to acknowledge. Whereas sociopathy may not be recognized in many individuals, psychopathy can be expected to certainly take a larger societal toll.
Respectfully,
Jason Kaufman, Ph.D.
Inver Hill Community College
As Dr. Kaufman points out is woefully under-represented in the Psych research community.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI attended a conference on domestic violence in San Francisco March of this year and observed there was remarkably small percentage of researchers focus on Psychopathy. Having been on the receiving end of a relationship where the person showed remarkable self-interest during stressful times and went to the extant of being physically abusive, I can vouch for more emphasis to determine the correlation of Psychopathy and Domestic Violence.
Regards,
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Edited by sskalkunte at 12/16/2007 2:01 AM
There is a important need to identify Psychopathy in our workplace environment.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIn a military setting, a country's credibility is at stake for overlooking such a personality.
Regards,
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Edited by sskalkunte at 12/16/2007 1:59 AM
Perhaps the question is how much of the anti social Personality disorder , the sociopath, psychopath or any strongly "personality " disorders are developed through childhood experience verses genetics. If APD etc are developed through childhood then treatment should be able to help, however since personality disorders are so hard to treat it is the cost and the time that may be inhibitive rather than the treatment. On the other hand young males (and females i expect) respond well to a little antipsychotic medication in the treatment of conduct disorder. I think this treatment slows down the processes in the thalamic / amygdala region of the brain and allows (i think ) for the young people to slow down their poor impulse control and decrease their often aggressive reponses. If one can do this for a year or more and help them learn new responses then successful treatment may follow.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisDr Kaufman brings up a useful distinction in understanding the cause s of such behavior. Poor impulse control combined with inadequate self esteem or lower social standing is enough to create sociopathic behavior. Whereas, the sociopath response is more grounded in reality of their social standing and past history the psychopath creates greater perceived threats through imagination - hence the greater violence.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHello; I am not a scientist and may be denied membership on those grounds; I am a psychopath with an idea...something I heard from another patient here, a woman with Asperger's who was inexplicably devastated when they changed her diagnosis; for years she'd thought she was a psychopath, even different as she was from the rest of us. I always knew she was not a psychopath. In any case, I digress...something you may surmise that I frequently do.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSo: I wonder if it is possible to craft a "gateway" -- some kind of implant designed to open communication in the blocked pathways in the brain of the psychopath -- and nurture them through the process of "awakening".
True, an adult brain could not possibly parallel the rapid development of the brain of a young child; however, some kind of result might be possible, given that as I understand it the brain tissue itself is atrophied in the uncommunicated areas but not necrotic.
If extremely careful therapy were applied and any seizures well-controlled, it might actually be the first breakthrough in bringing down the wall of ice that encapsulates the brutal but tragic, ultimate loner for life.
The more I see the science, the more I think it just might work some day. I've heard other people discourse on it; the idea was not my own. But I find it valid in theory......thank you for your consideration.
PATRICE.
Think we should think carefully about this problem, psychopath
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI heard that psychopath has no emotional change, and they hardly feel difference between people's feeling,such as crying and happy.
Psychopath can kill or harm people at once, and that's why the psychopath problem is so controversial.
Think we should think carefully about this problem, psychopath
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI heard that psychopath has no emotional change, and they hardly feel difference between people's feeling,such as crying and happy.
Psychopath can kill or harm people at once, and that's why the psychopath problem is so controversial.
I'm not a psychopath, im a good person, i help others n im kind and generous!!!!!, i wana throw a tea party and invite a few self called psychopaths around n say some really fucked up things to them and then check thier tempreture!, anyone who is a psychopath will defanatly not tell anyone else they are i tell you that right now!
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Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thiswow! what a load of hooy - Charles Manson did not kill anybody, his group went on a killing spree. Since there seems to be some confusion about language serial would denote by it's nature that several event s would be like another and that the events would logically follow in a liner string. I dont think that there is a way to be a psychopath by proxy. Also psychopaths are in the game for themselves having minions would be restrictive.
If you define and decide that humans in general are not part of the biological landscape and are not subject to genetic patterns (shifts and phases in reproduction) then, perhaps yes you could pin point that "X" behavior would equal "Y". But if humans are put in a standard biological model of reproduction with shifts and phases then you would get a base behavior with variants (more likely /less likely).
To even suggest that people that - seem- to not fit a norm by someones subjective definition, that can be ticked off of some list should be put on drugs is insane.
Extreme behavior, is just that extreme, to say that based on some vague criteria that you can prevent extreme behavior, is a bit like closing the barn door after the horse has left or at best is simply arm chair quarterbacking.
I do however see that a parent (s) could realize that if they have a child that doesnt quite get the right vs. wrong concept and that there should be a model for them and a professional to follow to help the child learn how to make decisions based of societal expectations.
The "Psychopath" is an unusual character/actor. The real question in my mind as a investiagtor and long term follower of the comments and question surrounding these persons, are the willing victums. As an investiagtor, I have found that female familiy members especially ( The Actors Mother), have some type of disability in accepting the condition of the actor, and has been a repeated victum, of the actors beginning at around age 7 to 8 years.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis period could span 20 or 30 years, during which time the mother has been a victum and everyone around her has become a victum thru association. What is wrong with the ( Actors) mothers, who after repeated and episodes, and direct intervention, refuse to acknowledge - accept- admit, that the actor is a :Psychopath.
Bernie
I am the mother of a 20 year old psychopath. Living with this kind of behaviour has all but destroyed me and the family bonds are very strained. It is not an easy thing to handle, and I suppose admit to, and the family has taken all of 20 years to listen to me. Now they have all finally woken up and are paying attention. Trying to keep everyone talking while trying to keep him alive because of his total lack of remorse or fear, is a full time job.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI understand, but you as a mother have reached the first level of understanding " Recognition of the Psychopath". What ever has happened in the past can now be viewed thru clear eye's.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisGenerally, the first degree female family members are a big part of the problem, by choosing not to see the problem, making excuse's and aruging with everyone that recognizes the Psycopath for who and what they are, unfeeling manipulators of everyone they come in contact with in their day to dat life. If you have openly addressed the problem with your son, with other family memebrs present, that you have started to really address the problem child or bad seed.
Anything less than a direct approach is a waste of time, and still without resolve by you , there is no good answer. The Psycopath must have a victum at all times, other wise they are not happy, with themselves.
When they are unhappy and not manipulating someone, they will begin to ask or question themselves , and possibilly but not likely to seek help. The critical point is to warn off victums before they can totally become victumized.
Dr. Kaufman, narcissistic personality features and lack of empathy in particular are what would facilitate aggressive and predatory behavior. In serial domestic abusers, I have found that with the exception of cases where delusional or psychotic symptoms were seen, At least three of the five following characteristics were almost invariably present: self-centeredness, lack of empathy, exaggerated sense of entitlement, jealousy, and an inability to accept responsibility for one's actions. Those traits facilitate aggression, abuse, exploitation, and deception.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe so-called distinction between sociopathy and psychopathy is ridiculous and based on absolutely nothing of substance. The same could be said of so-called secondary psychopathy because such people are merely products of their environment and do not necessarily suffer from a psychological disorder, whereas psychopaths (real ones) have differences in how their brains process information that could only be hereditary.
Dr. Kaufman, the personality traits you mentioned, the narcisissm and lack of empathy are what would facilitate predatory and aggressive behavior in both psychopaths and non-psychopaths. In serial domestic abusers, with the exception of those with psychotic or paranoid traits, at least three of the following five characteristics are almost invariably present: self-centeredness, lack of empathy, exaggerated sense of entitlement, jealousy, and an inability to accept responsibility for one's actions. These characteristics are what drive the remorseless violence, control, deception, and intimidation that quantify abusive relationships. The exact same can be said of high-ranking employees and managers in corporations, those that lack empathy and tend to exploit others to achieve their own ends have a tendency to be promoted more rapidly and successfully than their more honest counterparts.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe distinction between sociopathy and psychopathy is ridiculous and lends credibility to those who consider psychiatry to be a form of social control. Example: sociopathy, under that definition, that assigned by various sociologists, is the result of upbringing and early social experience, whereas psychopathy is supposed to result from heredity. Question: Should the sociopathy definition be considered a DISORDER?
An interesting article, updating a few things since the last time I was able to read about it...I often think of Robert Hare and wonder what has happened with his research in the more than a decade since he wrote his book 'Without Conscience'. He said that it's necessary to find a way to intervene when psychopaths are still very young. That is, even before they're toddlers, a period of time during which the brain undergoes extremely rapid development. Since it's a certainty that psychopaths become as they are because parts of the brain's temporal lobe don't develop properly, which in turn has to do with something that prevents neurotransmitters from passing through those spaces, it seems to me that the only way to really treat adult psychopaths is with some kind of device implanted in the brain that transmits what the brain cannot...as long as it can be done without causing seizures.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisA local clinical psychologist diagnosed me as a psychopath in the 1990s.
I believe my husband is a psychopath. He angers very easily, for the simpliest reasons. He has been in numerous relatonships. He only can stay committed to a person no longer than eight years, and he then becomes bored. He lies about everything, I can't tell when he is truthful or not. I've constantly found condomns or phone numbers of various women. His reply is that these are his friends. It seems he looks for certain women that will further his social or economical status. I am a school teacher, and for some reason he targeted me. I believe he assumed that I had more financial security. My previous husband was financial secure, which enabled me to do more with my own money. Everything that we own, I have purchased it in my name. I feel that when the relationship has not reached the finacial status he desires, he looks for another one to put him in that status. I am very angry for being used and not loved. I feel that he is a great munipulator! Do you have nay advice
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI have been reading a lot about child emotional abuse the last few days. Just two days ago I finally made a long awaited discovery. It's been a long quest to find a defined description to exlain my mother. I now know my mother is a psychopath. I'm still in shock about finding the proof she is insane even though I knew it all along. Oh God I cannot begin to say how much she screwed up my life.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisJose Maria "Jomarie" Gabinete is a perfect example of a psychopath. Research about him. He has been hurting a lot of nice and successful women. They don't deserve a guy like him.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI find it a little troubling that sexual promiscuity and stealing are seen along a parallel. Polygamy, in the case of covertly carrying on two marriages as opposed to societies in which this is allowed, could perhaps apply. Predatory sexual practices could apply but general promiscuity seems a little to broad.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSome of the most fascinating work done on this topic was done by a team of psychologists in the eastern bloc during the mid-1900's and was the basis for the book "Political Ponerology" written by Andrew Lobaczewski. It's well worth the read if this subject interests you.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI wonder whether a psychopath who has so far behaved reasonably according to social rules, but who would fit into 8 out of 9 chategorical psychopathic chracteristics, could become an even more perverse, revengeful and aggressive person. And what could lead him to become so.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHere is a psychopath that I know:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttps://www.happierabroad.com/Stefan_Muth.htm
Does anyone here know the workings of Kim and Steve Cooper. Steve is a self confessed narcissist. They both give advice how to live and work together. They are both happy and neither one think they have a problem with their relationship anymore.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI have just left a psychopath and am wondering myself whether I could have tried harder.
Something that will haunt me for a very long time
I don't take seriously the pseudo-medical label of "psychopath". A person refered to as a psychopath is a moral apostate - he or she rejects our conventional view of morality and how we should treat others. I believe your analysis of what you call psychopathic behavior is simplistic . You obviously disapprove of it. You can't cure such a person because there isn't anything to cure - they aren't "sick". You may as well try to convince an aethiest to believe in deities - is forced religious conversion a cure for aethiests? Well forced psychiatric couseling is no more effective for the so-called psychopath - what ever that means. I myself am a psychiatric apostate - psychiatrists and the psychologists who are their lackeys are engaged in social engineering not medicine.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis article provides an excellent insight. It is clear that someone who is a psychopath is compelled to behave in a chronically mentally ill way and cannot control their own behaviour. A psychopath knows that their behaviour is a product of chronic mental illness but continues to behave in a psychopathic way. The article misses one point that I believe is important when describing psychopathic behaviour; a psychopath behaviours in a highly manipulative way and is overwhelmingly compelled to manipulate others. A psychopath manipulates those that they have power and influence over to act in accordance with their psychopathic mental illness in order to normalise their own behaviour.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOver time a person with such a chronically dangerous mental disorder usually destroy themselves and those around them. Over time a psychopaths pattern of behaviour becomes visible and they are usually identified as being highly dangerous. The issue is that these people usually inflict harm to those closest to them such as their own family and work colleagues but this does not get picked up until it is too late.
A long standing psychopath will eventually totally destroy themselves with their own insanity as they get older at great cost to the rest of society.
Bipolar disorder, same thing, except it is called hypo/mania symptom instead of psychopathy, rapid cycling instead of motive, euphoria instead of glib and with bipolar disorder there is room for actual medical diagnosis with treatment that can potentially work without prejudice and get diagnosed without criminal action being a symptom. Schizophrenia can manifest itself with psychological psychopathic characteristics, early. A.D.D and A.D.H.D could be psychopathy. Really all it amounts to is how one feels and what one does. A lot can be said about learning styles, and getting that evaluated by a professional early can offer a lot of insight to a qualified psychiatrist. Psychopathy is a very aged discovery and the description of the condition leaves so much room for would be psychopaths to create a condition for themselves it landed itself on the personality disorders menu and the very real emotional cycles of the psychopath are easily categorized elsewhere. It is more of a topic than a condition now a days. Anyone can be antisocial and have personality disorders and often that is schizophrenia not a personality disorder, sometimes it's bipolar disorder. Sociopaths same thing, Narcissistic and multiple personality also, just symptoms really, most doctors who actually have the education and experience are not going to leave one solely diagnosed with a personality disorder, psychologists do that and have tests diagnose for them, and they are not medical doctors, and they are not worth going to for the most part, in my opinion. Anyone can sit down and fill out a dsmv questionnaire read online about symptoms and be what they want. People are more likely to go to them because they do not prescribe medicine but make suggestion and give advice. It's not hard to answer those things dishonestly, and some might find that amusing. Learning style evaluations with tests might not be so easy to manipulate and can offer some possible insight. However for some, those too are easy to manipulate and a cat scan or m.r.i. might be the only possible way to get a start on diagnosis, the brain is a lot like a finger print and unique to each individual but similar enough to provide a classification and make medicines that work, making neuroscience a vast in depth field that is predominately cellular focused. Not everyone who does things criminal is going to be diagnosed as a psychopath. A psychologist does not diagnose.
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